Once Was, Now Never Is
by Kofucu
Summary: Thunderstorms on a cloudy day, look closer if you may, her exquisite rainbow woven between his deadly swirls, singing, dancing, silently, they sway. {They say we dont know what's dearest to us until we loose it, but the truth is, we knew what we had, we just didn't know it was not going to stay with us forever.} "わたしは、あなたを愛しています."
1. Amorphous Eyes

**A/N: First of all, I just want to THANK YOU for clicking on this. I really hope it gets popular, I'm going to give this story my best :3 PLEASE DON'T THINK I am an immature writer whose stories might be horrible, the first story I wrote was when I was 8 lmao XD now I'm 11 and I've read many good stories, and even tried writing one-shots and I feel I have gotten much, MUCH better now.**

 **Anyway, back to topic, this fiction might seem like those really stupid ones where the OC is REALLY Mary-Sued, or she is confused and doesn't know what to do all the time. And also not any of those stories where she comes out of the trash and the other part of the pairing falls in love with her for** _ **no reason.**_ **I absolutely** _ **hate**_ **those kinds of fictions.**

 **So I won't rant here, let's get on with the story :3 again, thank you SO MUCH for clicking on this.**

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 _It was cold._

A slight quiver ran up my spine, and I looked around, my heavy jacket draped around my shoulders, which I didn't bother to put on properly, wasn't enough to hide the cold. _'I never knew winters were this cold...'_ My small figure trembled again, as I let out a shaky breath.

Everything was cold, just like the people in this world.

 _How was I here again?_

We were a happy family of four. My mom, my dad, my small sister, Ayuhi Yugureha, who was only three months old, and me, Shirane Yugureha. I really like my name; it was one thing I could call my own, which no one could take away from me. It meant 'white twilights' and I always thought that was beautiful. But, not every story has a happy ending.

It was a fine night when my parents decided to enjoy the enchanting, full moon outside the home in the nearby meadow. I had a lot of schoolwork, so I decided not to go with them. They left me and Ayuhi in the supervision of a babysitter, who turned out to be a serial murderer on a current rampage. I was only eight. I lost Ayuhi that day; the scene is still vivid before my eyes.

 _The baby was wailing. The murderer cracked a wide grin then plunged the knife straight into her heart, as blood spurted out everywhere. Shirane fell to her knees, the sight leaving her numb, paralyzed. Her eyes open wide in shock, the murderer leapt at her. But right when the knife neared Shirane's face, a slight 'creak' was heard. The door slowly opened, showing a horrified woman's eyes. It was her mother. She quickly typed something on her phone, dialing the police, when everything Shirane had is lost before her eyes. A bubbling sensation rose up inside her, urging her to run. Her petite body rose up from the ground, supported by her delicate legs, running, just speeding towards the one cause who had taken away everything precious to her. The feeling controlling the adrenaline, the longing desire to at least land one blow to the slaughterer who stood before her, waiting for Shirane with the knife in her hand, was **hatred.**_

And that was it. My family died that day. I was saved, because the police arrived before I could be killed. I know it's selfish of me to think in this conceited way, but I'm happy I survived. I'm happy that I was the one chosen by God to live, even though I was to live in regret and remorse.

I was sent to a small orphanage in the outskirts of Japan, and I really hated that place. All the kids there were much older than me, and it seemed I was the only victim of bully. They would call me a _helpless child_ who wasn't capable of even breathing on her own. I was tormented, mercilessly showered with insults, and in all that darkness, I thought there would be one person to fight away the bullies for me, console and tell me I would find happiness one day, if happiness didn't mean being with them.

But there was **_nobody._**

Usually, in movies, there is always a person who is the only source of inspiration the main character has. Why wasn't I like the main character of my life?

 **{But she didn't know.}**

 _So I ran away._

But that isn't the end of the story. I'm sure it isn't.

For two hours, I've been roaming the cold streets after I ran away. _'Christmas is celebrated tomorrow, right?'_ I think to myself as I see a car driving by. It was a nicely painted, fast car. It definitely belonged to a rich individual. I sighed, thinking about how happy everyone would've been if people as horrible as that so called 'babysitter' didn't exist, or everyone would simply just long for a better world. I quickly dismissed my thoughts, knowing that this was the dreams of only a small, innocent child like me.

I noticed the man inside the attractive black car suddenly lock eyes with me. He either noticed something absurd about me, or he just noticed my dark expression. Whatever he noticed in me, he wasn't stopping the car anytime soon.

My assumptions were wrong. Out of the blue, the car stopped. A fine businessman, the same one who was staring at me, stepped out, a gentle smile spread across his face. His dark brown hair was styled neatly, as his tall figure towered over me. That wasn't unusual, since I was only nine, after all.

"Are you lost, young one?" He asked me softly, and I wondered to myself, _'Am I really lost? On the path of life, yes.'_ But I decided to say the opposite. I lightly shook my head, as he bent down on his one knee, he started speaking. "I'm from the Hyakuya Orphanage Institute. I could take you in, no? There are plenty of kids your age there. I'm sure you would enjoy their company," he made a promise. Upon hearing this, my attention snapped. _Kids my age?_ I always thought of living in a place where I would get along with everyone. But I was a pretty dark child, after experiencing three murders in front of my eyes; I don't think I would get along with them...

 _But wait._ I could always keep facts a secret. I decided on agreeing to his words.

"...I don't mind." I don't know if that sounded like a yes or a no, but the man took it as a yes. He softly clapped his hands together, saying, "Great! Get into the car, it would be much easier than walking all the way to the orphanage, would there?" he softly said, and I could say he wasn't a bad person at all.

As I followed his footsteps into the car, I was excited. I was really excited about riding in a car because this was the first time, I had ridden a car. Our family was not rich enough to afford a car, so I'd never ridden a car before. It was comfortable, the seats were dark leather, and there was a big heater, along with three other men and one woman.

It was a long ride so the man who had been staring as me from the windows of the car I was currently sitting in told, me many different stories I'd never been told before. The woman also showed me a lot of different products of makeup. She even put on some for me, and I slightly recall my mom owning some of this powdery stuff.

We'd reached in about thirty minutes, and I saw lots of things I'd never seen before on the way. I also got a delicious drink the man called 'hot chocolate'. When the door of the care opened, I could hear the music and laughter from the other side of the wall. I felt kind of... _excited._

 _There are really kids my age here,_ I reassured myself.

The man knocked on the door before opening, and a small girl with hazel-brown hair, who looked like she was six or seven, ran to him and started screaming, "Uncle Kiyomano is back! He's back, everyone! Did you bring a new child here?" She excitedly asked him, her ponytails bobbing up and down.

My eyes widened again. _There really are kids around my age here._

'Uncle Kiyomano' picked up the girl and swung her around, as the little girl laughed in glee. "How is everyone, Akane-chan? And yes, I have bought a new little girl, make friends with her, okay?" I felt kind happy, knowing that these children were waiting here for new orphans.

 _Maybe I might fit in after all,_ I thought.

The little girl called 'Akane' ran up to me and grabbed my hand. "Hello! You're orphaned too, right? My name's Akane! What's yours?" She started to speak continuously. "Um... M-my name is Shirane. Shirane Yugureha." I silently replied. Akane burst into joy again, screaming, "You don't have to be so shy! We're all your friends now!"

I faintly smiled back, as another boy with yellow hair and bright, beautiful, blue eyes ran up to me. "I'm Mikaela Hyakuya! Nice to meet you!" He held out his hand and a closed-eye-grin had graced his facial features. I took hold of his hand, feeling how warm it was.

"Wow, you're cold, aren't you?" He asked. "Sort of." I replied, a bit louder. "How old are you?" He suddenly asked, startling me. "I-I'm nine."

"Onee-chan!' A small boy with blue hair spoke up. "O-onee...?" I got a little confused. Weren't they supposed to be my age?

"Onee-chan, because you're the oldest here. I'm the second oldest, I'm eight," Mikaela said with a warm smile. "You don't really have to call me that, you can just call me Shirane Yugureha..." My response was much louder, as Mikaela grabbed my other hand. "Not 'Yugureha' anymore! Now you're Shirane Hyakuya-chan," he said.

I smiled at him as all the children attacked me, wanting themselves to be introduced. "Whoa, slow down, she can't remember so many names!" And that's how I ended up here.

 _ **I'm so far away from you.**_

It had been over a year since I was at Hyakuya Orphanage. I turned into a caring and sweet person, almost forgetting my memories at times. I made really good friends with each and every person there, and we all were happy together. The director was also really sweet and caring, she loved every one child. Today, a new member was supposed to arrive.

We all waited not really patiently all day for our new family member to arrive. When finally we heard a knocking on the door, all of us got up excitedly. When Kiyomano opened the door, instead of running to him, Akane tried to run past him to the new kid. But Kiyomano caught her and started to tickle her, resulting in her screaming, "Let me go~!"

Suddenly, the new kid peeped from behind Kiyomano, a frown over his face.

 _Oh, so I see,_ I thought, _he's a gloomy child like I used to be._

Mikaela raised his hand, along with his voice, as he screamed out, "Hey! Aren't you the new kid? Hello! I'm Mikaela. Nice to meet you!" the new kid ignored Mika after glaring at him, and Mika groaned. "Don't be so mean! We all are a family here, so you can share any secret," Mika said with a faint smile.

"Family doesn't mean anything to me!" the new boy finally spoke up. He had a cute, squeaky voice. "Wanna hear how I came here?! My mom… she kept ranting on about how I was 'demon spawn'. She eventually went nuts and committed suicide! My dad almost killed me, and then I was sent here. You see, 'family' is just a-" he was gently cut off by Mika while he was stating his life story, with the words, "That must've been hard," Mika said with a bright, contagious smile. Seeing him smile makes me smile too.

"You know how I came here? I was abused by both my parents, and then thrown out of a moving car," Mika spoke with a long grin. "Me too! I wanna tell you how I came here too! I never met my parents-", "I was left at the orphanage door when I was born!", "Me next!" "My mommy and daddy killed themselves!" one after another, every kid started to narrate their tragic pasts with smiling faces.

I was genuinely surprised, because no one would want to wait in line to tell how they were rejected by everybody, and no one speaks in that way with such a bright tune and such a happy grin. It seemed the new boy was surprised too.

"But!" Mika began, "None of us are sad," he said with one more of his sweet smiles. "Because as of today, we all have a big brother named Yuu!" _Oh,_ I thought to myself, _so his name's…Yuu?_ I assumed.

Slowly getting up, I rose to feet, and started taking small steps with a normal pace towards Yuu. I was always a shy kid when meeting new people, so this was nothing unusual. "Yuu, are you?" I asked, extending out my hand to him. I tried my very best to imitate Mika when I first met him, so that Yuu would think of me as a friend instantly, just like how I felt with Mika, because it seems he had a miserable past.

"It's Yuichiro Amane." He scoffed while blushing and then dropped his gaze. _He seems like the kind of person who seems like he hates you, but then it only **seems** like it._

"I'm Shirane Hyakuya, and-"

"Now you are a part of the Hyakuya family too, so it's Yuichiro Hyakuya!" Daichi burst in, cutting me off. I peeped at the director who was standing in the corner of the room, smiling pleasantly at us. "He'll be just fine," she murmured to herself after I smiled at her.

She turned on her heel, going back to kitchen when suddenly, she stopped moving. I quickly ran up to her, afraid of what might be happening since she was a very old woman, and had chances of death every second of the day. I spent my nights praying she would die in her sleep, because I don't want her to suffer something as agonizing as a heart attack.

But that wasn't the case here.

I grabbed her arm as she sluggishly turned around, looking at me with a horrified expression. My eyes widened, pupils dilated, and my mouth hung open, as I stared at her face. Blood speed down the corner of her mouth, then slowed down to dripping, gently making _drip_ sounds as it hit the floor, then completely stopped.

I watched as her lifeless eyes fell shut, her eyelids probably heavy, dropping down to the floor, not moving. The shock paralyzed my hands, but fear quickly took over. "G…guys! The director… she… she's not moving!" Even though I knew clearly she was dead, saying 'The director died' doesn't sound too practical, even though that was the truth.

Mika was the first one to run up to me, followed by few kids who almost always followed him wherever he went. "What happened to her?!" he asked worriedly, the other kids starting to sniffle; what would we do without our beloved Director? She was there a second ago, and now she was abruptly **_gone._**

Even though Akane was almost as motherly and caring as she was, who could easily become a substitute, we didn't have an exact replacement for the Director.

 _She was just… **gone.**_

Like every person you meet, she came and went in the twinkling of an eye.

Unexpectedly, the big window right in the living room shattered, the pieces of glass flying everywhere. Me and Mika stood protectively in front of the gathering of young, terrified, timid children, who were seeing and experiencing too much, when they were just so little, so innocent.

Tall men, and women, who seemed to be the ones who shattered the glass, walked in, their long, pure white capes fluttering in the unknown wind. All the children started crying as a high-pitched, girlish voice spoke all around us, sounding like the owner of the timid yet **_dangerous_** voice was speaking onto a mic, said,

"Attention, ladies and gentlemen! You foolish humans have created a fatal virus that has now spread over the whole world! I regret to inform you, that humanity has destroyed itself! However, we are aware that the virus will not affect human children at the age of thirteen and under. Accordingly, we of third progenitor Krul Tepes's personal command unit, will take into custody every child in this area, effective immediately. Obey our orders, and all will go well."

The man with the long, light blue hair looked at us and showed us this smirk, a sharp and long fang resting on his lower lip. _Vampires?_ I started thinking. We were going to be captured by vampires? I know I shouldn't be thinking in this way, but being in a place where there are mostly vampires around really **_exciting._**

The little kids obviously didn't understand, but Akane was already comforting them, reassuring them that these people were _good,_ but she only needed an excuse to make the young adolescents follow these vampire's orders. I understood her reasons for calling the vampires _good people_ , but I still thought it was wrong to just **lie** to children like that because their brains were undeveloped and they wouldn't be able to tell when someone was lying to them or not, especially if they were being lied to by their **family,** their most **loved ones.**

The vampires took us into big pick-up trucks and drove us into a large pit dug deep underground. Inside the pit was honestly beautiful, there were these big buildings and castles big long turrets or really short and thick spears, but this one that really caught my attention and the one which was probably the most exquisite, most magnificent was this tall, lilac mansion with amethyst steeples, four skinny, square, low towers are set firm for a great defensive line and are connected by strengthened, wide walls of lavender stone. Grand windows are scattered here and there, around the walls in fairly symmetrical patterns. The walls look new even though the castle looks like something out of a Victorian Era. In simple words; it was delightfully charming.

I sighed to myself, while hoping that the children and I will get to play hide-and-seek with each other in that pleasing mansion someday.

 **{She really didn't know.}**

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 **A/N: And that's it for the first chapter! Sorry for everything being so short :( I promise other chapters will be slightly longer :3 Also, the plot is _really complicated that I don't know how to write it myself._ I know, everything probably seems stupid right now, but everything gets really complicated and tragic, I must say. There's an enormous… No, I'll save all the surprises for later ;). Also, I might update every day, so if I miss the update any day, please know it's because I have too much schoolwork (: **

**~Legend-Chan**


	2. Cynical Voices

**A/N: Lmao, I didn't get any reviews xD but I did get four follows and two favorites, which means people really like this story! Thanks a lot everyone, even a simple follow/favorite makes me extremely happy :) And no matter what, I'm continuing this story, the plot is just too much to leave behind and forget. And sorry for those stupid grammatical errors :( I'll try my best to upload without errors. Also, I guess I'm going to upload a new chapter every two days now :) (but this chapter took me more than a week scREAMS)**

 **(By the way, I got tremendously confused with my OCs age in Chap 1, and so I made a small mistake. Mika was supposed to be eight when he and my OC first met, not nine, like I'd written there. After an year, Shirane is 11 and Mika and Yuu are 9, while they're still in the orphanage. Sorry for the error!)**

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"Yuu-chan!" I yelled to the dark-haired, young male sitting across the street. Not that I was scared of crossing the street, there were no cars in Sanguinem. There were cars, but they were allowed to be used only and only by vampires. "Yuu-chan!" I shrieked yet again; the boy was either ignoring me, or he lost his ability to hear.

"Yuu-cha… ugh!" I tried roaring again, but my voice gave up. That boy was so much to put up with! He acted so much like a lady. I scanned the area for any vampires, then I had to simply walk over and drag him by his disabled ears.

"Yuu-chan, do you know for how long I've been calling you?!" I scolded him as soon as I trotted over, my voice barely a whisper. Now it was _his_ fault I was not going to be able to speak for the rest of the day because of a sour throat. If Mika asks, at least _this_ time I'll have an answer. I unnecessarily scream too much, and that's why I have a dry throat all the time. But today, I had a reason for bellowing so much.

"Do _you_ know how long I've been ignoring you?!" he retorted instantly. So he _was_ capable of hearing, after all. "Yuu-chan, I'm two years older than you! Gosh, show some respect," I said while tugging on his arm, urging him to get up. "What's the hurry anyway?!" he said as he pushed me off him. "Come on, I can't forgive you if you don't apologize!" I screamed particularly loudly enough to have the other kids stare at us as they walked by.

"I don't want to be forgiven! Thanks a lot, now you made us a subject of attention," he snorted, sneering at me. "Well, if I wasn't here to wake you up from your _beauty sleep_ , we all would have been executed because of you! I had just saved your life, learn to be grateful!" I scoffed back at him. He had no right to be speaking this nonsense, right after I just saved him and our family.

"E-exe…cuted?" He hesitated, but to me it seemed like he was finally coming back to his senses. "Yeah, it's time for our daily session, if you don't hurry up; you'll be killed," I said amusedly, happy that he was becoming at least a tad bit more mature. I never thought Yuu would grow up.

"W-why didn't you say that earlier?! All that arguing was such a waste of time, energy and creative comebacks," He whined. "What do mean by 'not tell you earlier'?! And what creative comebacks? You seemed like you were going with the flow of the situation," I giggled slightly, as we both ran to the vampire Capital. "S-shut up! Don't tell Mika, or else,"

"Or else what? Sure I'll tell Mika, you just gotta wait," I smirked, running even farther away from him, while he screamed, "Why you little…!" We chased each other around the ground until the vampires had to grab us by our limbs and strap us down to the chair. They didn't really do that though.

I was in the chair right beside Mika and Yuu, as always. We were chatting about the structure of the vampire Capital and how it needn't be so huge; there were not many vampires here after all. Just as the vampires came up to us to thrust the thick needles into our necks and draw one fifth of our blood, we had started to talk about nobles, and how greedy, manipulative, cunning and devious they all were.

But we didn't want the other parasites to hear us, so we didn't say a word more.

The vampire assigned to take mine, Mika, and Yuu's blood was particularly _cold._ He would look at us like we were livestock, _only_ livestock during our 'session' every day. We hated this individual more than any other vampire we every loathed before.

After they were done taking our blood, Yuu threw a hissy fit about the whole deal once again. Like he does every day, he repeated the exact same words. No one knew if he'd been learning a precise speech every day, or not.

"…I can't stand it anymore!" he started wailing. I silently prayed that he was still not loud enough for the vampire to hear us. His volume increases daily. "It hurts! It makes me dizzy! And I can't stand those vampires looking at me like I'm livestock! What do they think we are, cows? Pigs? Chicken?!" he continued his long speech which no one really listening to.

Mika groaned, clearly annoyed. "Yuu-chan, you should really accept your new life…" he tried his best to explain that this life way of living wasn't too bad, but Yuu never really changes. He never listens to Mika. "Mika, are you really fine with this way of life?!" Yuu was still extremely loud, even though all that he said was actually making some sense.

I felt slightly ignored, because Mika and Yuu were always together, chatting like ladies throughout the day. I was like an awkward third-wheel, always listening to how Yuu made no sense, and Mika tried to be reasonable.

"Of course I'm not, but what can I do about it?" Mika, the always-mature person, was so gentle, his voice was so soft. Compared to Yuu's loud, high-pitched screaming, of course.

"We gotta start a revolution, Mika! We have to fight back to those blood-suckers, and turn this place into human property," Yuu started to wander off into his dreamland again, where everything was peaceful, no vampires existed. I wasn't able to believe Yuu actually wanted to fight back to the vampires. Did he really think he had a chance of winning? Vampires were seven times stronger than humans, after all.

"That's got to be the stupidest plan I've ever heard of," Mika smiled, he was obviously true to his words. Yuu scoffed before hitting Mika on his arm. "Why can't you just agree to whatever I say?! It's not like every one listens to me anyway!" Mika started to respond, but something distracted Yuu, he started looking far away into the Capital.

There were some children who were drawing on the floors with white chalks, mainly because they had nothing else to do. They were four little, young, innocent children. It hurt my heart to witness the scenes which took place next.

The vampires who were crossing by the area stepped on the unfortunate children's delicate hands for no real reason. The kids started to squirm in place, afraid that if they made any noise, they would be punished even worse. Even though my events like these took place every day, tears stung my eyes and threatened to spill.

It seems Yuu noticed this too, and like the reckless idiot he is, he ran up to the vampire, and grabbed him by his waist. Being only twelve, while I was fourteen, it was only normal that Yuu would be much, much shorter than any vampire. Especially the nobles, they were inhumanly tall.

"Y-yuu-chan…!" Mika gasped, not able to believe the fact that Yuu would be so careless and rash, and endanger his entire family for four mere strangers who were hurt by vampires. It was law that if a family member caused harm or annoyance to any vampire, their entire kin be killed. "Apologize! Now!" Yuu screamed, clearly ignoring me and Mika, who were only thinking of his and the family's sake.

"St-stop! He is just really stupid and… please, let him go!" The vampire held Yuu's neck and pulled him up, his hand retracted, ready to extend with a lightning speed and stab Yuu, kill him. "Uh… p-please…" Mika begged, while I tried to assist him. One most important family member going to die!

"What's going on here?" An almost motherly, sweet, soft and gentle voice disrupted the lose-lose ordeal me and Mika were facing. Glancing at the speaker, the vampire holding up Yuu quickly loosened his grip on his neck, and then it died down completely. Were measly nobles really given that much of respect? To me, they were just pathetic vampires who thought they were high, mighty and powerful and even the most insensible of creatures would bow down to them.

But, Mika seemed so _excited_ to see the vampire noble. Or was he forced to? I don't see much exhilaration and pleasure in taking in the sight of the ones who control the place you _hate._

…The part about me hating this place was wrong.

I… didn't really 'hate' Sanguinem. It was a really beautiful place, the walls castles, mansions and palaces were mostly built up of appealing stone-marble, which would randomly change color, making the place even more attractive and lovely. Next, the _vampires._ I had this unknown liking to all of them, except some like the narcissistic nobles, and the ones who thought we were _blood, just blood,_ no flesh and bones. We probably looked like live _food_ to them. There were brick stairs everywhere in Sanguinem, which made the place more loveable and ancient.

"Lord Ferid!" Mika called out, his face glowing all of a sudden. Maybe he really was happy; 'Lord Ferid' had saved Yuu after all. Running up to the silver-haired noble, Mika lightly jumped up and down. "May I come to your mansion again tonight?" Excitedly, Mika bounced. _He's really cute when he's thrilled, isn't he._

"Of course, Mika-chan, your blood is very delicious. You're welcome anytime," the noble smoothly replied. I had a sudden impulse to go over and touch his whitish-violet hair, it flowed so beautifully. I could almost hear his mellifluous locks calling my name.

 _Whoa, stop thinking like that, Shirane. He's a noble! You can't just randomly walk up to a noble and touch their hair like that,_ I tried convincing myself. I barely succeeded in trying to stop myself from running over to him and cutting off all of his hair. I giggled to myself at the thought.

… _I liked his voice, too._

Just when he glanced over at Yuu, who was standing right behind me, I got a full view of his malicious smile. It was only then I realized the one fact I'd never been able to notice.

He was **attractive.**

"Is that troublemaker coming as well?" I felt kind of disappointed at his words; he noticed Yuu but not me? I'm pretty sure I _wasn't_ transparent. Or was my presence too low? In any instance, I decided I began thinking too much about a few words which weren't even directed to me.

Abruptly, he turned around to me, and my heart started to pound. It was because I was scared. _Was he going to kill me?_ But instead, I saw a sharp pang of pain, regret and guilt in his eyes. I don't know whether or not I was imagining it, but did tears start to well up inside his red orbs?

Questions started to bubble up in the back on my mind just as he swiftly turned and started to speed over towards me. More than anything, I was paralyzed in place. My nerves felt like they were filled with ice or stone, I just couldn't move.

I started to meddle with my short, bobby ringlets, along with stroking my messy tresses. I was so nervous, I was so scared. Was he really going to kill me? But instead, he got down on one knee, though he was still towering above me. I took a small step back, totally afraid of what was going to happen next.

Fear started to float along the back of my brain, while my eyes darted around anxiously. Everyone was so quiet; it was only the laughter of the children playing far, far away from the vampire Capital you could hear. The Capital was so, so silent you could hear a pin drop.

He slowly ran a hand over my cheek, probably amused with the fear that controlled my facial features. Even though his crimson eyes spit misery and fault, his lips were simpering. That one fact really bothered me.

Then things started to get _bizarre._

He lowered his face to my right shoulder, moving my short hair out of the way. It was against the law to drink blood directly from a human, but he was breaking the rules, right in front of three other vampires. Those minor vampires didn't say or do anything.

Right when I thought he was going to push his fangs into my skin and kill me, he calmly murmured into my ear, "May I?"

I was so shaken, not even a minor vampire asks so softly for permission before taking a human's blood, but here he was, a noble, taking my approval before sucking my scarlet life force. "S-sure…" I hesitantly replied, afraid that he would kill me if I said no, but the situation was, he would kill me whether I said no or yes.

He quickly slid his fangs into my flesh, pulling out a bit of blood, sipping on the crimson liquid. A strange sensation started to flow throughout my petite body, other than the dizziness which tried to overwhelm me. I soon found myself wanting him to take more blood, but right as that thought occupied my mind, he retracted his fangs, his absolutely perfect voice slightly cracking in my ear, sending a cold shiver down my spine.

 _ **Normal P.O.V:**_

And there it was, all those memories, which he desperately tried to bury deep into nowhere, tried so hard to forget, back on the surface, floating like a dead fish in the middle of an ocean. It stung his heart, which didn't even beat anymore.

Her small smile, slightly violent actions, loose, bobby ringlets, delicate frame, light blonde locks, pasty complexion, cold hands, and even the taste of her blood, everything resembled his one and only, who wasn't even here anymore, whose grave he couldn't find anymore.

'Why…?' was the only thing he could ask himself. Why is she still here? Why isn't she dead, like he last remembered her? Questions, only questions, he was puzzled. Everything felt like it took place again, even though those memories where back from at least three centuries ago.

She resembled her so much, in so many different ways; it shot poisoned arrows into his mind and soul, he couldn't assemble his thoughts, but he concluded to the fact that he was overthinking. He quickly let go of Shirane, having slight fear he might scare her away, and he would never get to see _her_ again.

' _Her'_ obviously wasn't Shirane.

 _ **Shirane's P.O.V:**_

After he let go of me, he rapidly got up and hastily walked away, the other vampires following him. _W-what was that…?_ I saw a huge quantity of remorse, of shame in his voice, along with witnessing repentance in his beautifully burgundy orbs.

Why was I only the one to view all this?

Mika, along with Yuu, ran up to me and worriedly started to ask multiple questions, all at once. "What happened?", "Did he hurt you?", "Are you okay?", "He didn't take too much blood, did he?". I only replied with the words, "I'm totally fine, he didn't hurt me at all," while smiling.

Then I turned to Mika, my smile quickly fading, and asked him, "You are going to his mansion tonight? Can I come along?" Mika's eyes darkened, and his voice was low while he said, "No, he might kill you…" But here, I was _convinced_ he wasn't going to harm me in the slightest way possible.

"P-please, I'm sure he won't hurt me," I tried to beg, but the most motherly Mika, obviously wouldn't allow me to do something risky if safety wasn't guaranteed. "No, there isn't any assurance whether you're going to come back alive or not."

Upon hearing his words, I pouted and mouthed a tiny 'okay', even though I was two years older to him, it was almost like he was the eldest.

"Anyway, just talking about the fact that you are going to that bastard's mansion tonight…" Yuu scowled, while Mika giggled nervously. "Don't tell me you're _letting_ vampires drink your blood?!" Yuu started to yell while I sighed. I really wasn't ready for all his drama.

 _ **Why are you still here?**_

"You're making curry?!" I was bewildered, where did Akane get the things to make curry with anyway? "I know, right! Mika bought me the ingredients about an hour ago. Or was it two hours? Man, I can't calculate time at all!" Akane groaned.

"You obviously can't calculate time, they don't teach us how to do that," I stated the evident. "Now, where did Mika get it from?"

"I think he said he found some black market route for it," Akane stared off into space. Yuu was also surprised about Mika having gotten his hands on something like curry. "All those vampires give us is only scraps of food," Yuu said. So he really _was_ observing things in his everyday life.

"I know, and that's why I'm going to give this my best shot, since we don't get to have something as delicious as curry every day!" Akane declared. I was really excited; this was the first time in four years we've gotten to eat something as scrumptious as curry.

I agreed to help Akane with the cooking, because I was the eldest, I had to take some responsibility, didn't I? In the end, Akane ended up doing all the work anyway.

The curry was appetizing; all the kids loved it, including me, of course. Yuu didn't really eat much, and Mika wasn't there to eat with us, because he was 'busy' at Ferid's mansion. I really missed Mika, family activities were so much more fun with him.

Finally it was time for bed. I was so tired though I didn't really do much during the day, but having to put up with Yuu's idiocy was enough to rob a person of all their energy.

Akane switched off the lights, and we all climbed upstairs to sleep. We didn't really have beds, all we had were pillows and blankets, and we had to sleep on the cold, hard, concrete floors, but all that was enough for us. We had our family, and that was the most important thing.

"Shirane, wake up all the children!" Mika said to me, but the only emotion I felt was confusion. He woke me up I the middle of the night, asking me to awaken all the children. "B-but why?" I said after yawning, I really don't understand some of Mika's pranks and jokes.

"Were going to say goodbye to this world!"

 **A/N: Whoa, every chapter is so short :( sorry for that! Also, with that one part of the story, I really surprised everyone, didn't I XD. Don't worry though, with the upcoming events, everything is going to fall in place! Let me tell you that Ferid actually has… nope; I'll keep it a secret for now ;).**

 **And please don't get confused, Ferid isn't acting this way towards my OC for no reason, he has motives and explanations for doing the things he is. But much further into the story, things are gonna get steamy, watch out!**

 **Hope you enjoyed the chapter, next one with be up in about a week, or two-three days, or maybe even between that time. But it will be up sooner or later. Hopefully sooner, though :).**

 **Legend-Chan -**


	3. Silent Symphonies

**A/N: Holy hamburgers, this has three reviews already :0 I never expected that! Thanks a lot for all the love, and whoa, I thought everyone would absolutely despise the way Ferid is acting currently, but you all seem to love it xD And, Fionavar, it's totally fine, you are not annoying me in any way. I'm happy you like this fiction :). (BTW, you should really watch Seraph of the End. It's AWESOME, and you'll realize that there's no chance of the character I'm writing for to act the way I'm making him.)**

 **Also, Elephantlover66, thank you! I'm really glad that this FFN interests you. And I already mentioned in the summary that this was going to be a FeridxOC xD. Anyways, thanks a lot for the kind words. And, kikiikow, thanks, but you can't fool me, Onee-chi xD.**

 **Also, I'm SO SORRY for not updating for, like, three months :(. I have final exams going on right now, and my dad is really strict about them. Writing this chapter was extremely difficult for me. And now I've decided to update every once or twice a week. Anyhow, I won't say things here for longer, let's continue with the story :D.**

.

.

.

"We are going to say goodbye to this world!"

 _Those words. They really bothered me, to an extent that I wanted to scream out in frustration._

Saying goodbye to the world? What does he mean?! Are we going to suicide or run away from Sanguinem? Anyways, I wouldn't be able to go with them. I was fourteen; I'd be killed immediately by that damned virus! I wonder if Mika thought about that.

"M-mika, wait! What are you talking about?!" I screamed quietly; I didn't want to alert any vampires. "Mika, get your crap straight!" I tried to protest but he kept pulling my hand, trying to get me to follow him downstairs.

Finally, I gave up. I just screamed, "Mika! Just **what** do you think you're **doing**?!" I didn't even care about waking anyone else up, even though Akane did open her eyes and curiously tapped my shoulder. "What are you guys doing…?" she asked, yawning before rubbing her eyes.

"Mika wouldn't-"

"Me and Yuu-chan made plans to escape this cruel place, doesn't it sound exciting? Soon, we all are going to be able to live with everyone we love, and no vampires!" Mika briefly explained, and it was then I realized that we really were running away from Sanguinem.

But what about **me**?!

"That's awesome! I'll wake the children immediately," Akane exclaimed, her excitement clear in her voice. I really didn't want them to see the truth, which they were going to have to leave an important family member back, namely me, if they wanted to escape.

 _And I was not ready to leave them._

"A-akane-chan! Mika, everyone, please!" I tried shouting once again, but they still ignored me. They probably thought I was being adult-like, not going to allow them to do what they wanted because it was ' _unsafe'._

But the truth was, they needed to see that I wouldn't be able to do this. Leaving? When there's such a terrible disaster outside? No way, I'm not going to stupidly risk my life like that. But the children were so excited to do this; I didn't really want to tell them.

"Please, listen! I _can't_ go!" I finally blurted out, and they all turned to me. "S-Shirane…chan?" Akane asked, her eyes spitting confusion. "But why?" Mika inquired; like it wasn't obvious already.

"Guys, think! I'm fourteen! I'll get killed!" I stated the logical, and watched as the horror, dread, distress and shock spread across their faces. "Didn't you realize this earlier?" They obviously weren't _that_ dumb. Mika was the one person who thought the most logical, but the fact that he took time to realize this surprised me.

"Are you really going to leave me behind?!" I said, wondering if they had an answer. "Onee…" Hearing Akane sob desperately made my eyes tear up, if they weren't filled already. "I don't want to be left behind in this world without my family…" My tears threatened to spill, and I let them.

"Shirane, don't cry… W-we'll think about this…" Mika assured me, but I wasn't taking risks.

It was a difficult decision, yes, indeed it was. But I had to choose, then and there, or I might use a little time. But all I could think about was the children, and how happy they'd be if they finally escaped this, according to them, _hell._

I wanted to go with them, I wanted to breathe to fresh air of Kyoto again, I wanted to rest in peace knowing I was at _home,_ knowing I died in a place where I met people I'd never forget, who were the only people I could rely on, the only people I could call family.

They were the _only ones._

But, dying in the same place I met them didn't really sound like a bad idea. I knew that they would be constantly depressed without their oldest sister, even though I technically wasn't. I'd been with them long enough to know their every secret. I wasn't ready to leave all the love they'd given me behind.

"Shirane!" Yuu's lady-like voice snapped me out of my thoughts, my head jumping up, looking him into his eyes, which were also bleeding tears. "I-I will come with you. I don't care if I'll be killed, at least I'll die with you guys at my last sight." 

"Onee-chan, what are you…?" Akane said as her eyes widened to the size of teacups. "You guys heard me right!" I said, trying to cheer everyone up by putting on a fake, cheerful personality, spreading a bogus atmosphere. But it was clear; that act wasn't making anyone any happier.

My voice was shaking, my tears wouldn't stop flowing. I was crystal clear that I _wasn't happy._

Deep down inside, everyone knew it. Everyone was afraid of death. Even me, yes, even I was scared hellishly of death. It was painful. It was truly painful.

"Wake everyone up!" I said, my voice still trembling, my words directed to Akane. "But…are you really sure of this? You're going to die you know…" Akane hesitantly replied. "Of course its fine, I don't mind dying for you guys!" No, it was not fine; it was not fine at all. But what was I even supposed to say?

No absolutely amount of happiness made this better.

"If it satisfies you…!" Mika saw where I was going, or more correctly, _trying_ to go, and took up the false, bright and happy attitude. Yuu seemed disappointed. "Mika, you too?!"

"Let's go then, what is everyone waiting for?! Don't stand there like ducks," I said, lightly chuckling, trying to uplift everyone's mode, my voice still quivering. I knew I was going to die. "Akane, let's wake the children," I spoke, throwing force towards Akane.

I knew she didn't want to do this. I knew; no one wanted to do this. Not even me. But sometimes, you do things because you _have_ to. Not because you _want_ to.

I ran upstairs, hoping she would follow me. But she just stood there, her eyes scrunched up, tears staining her cheeks. I stared at her, with my motionless, small eyes, filled with tears, bleeding harshly with the salty, clear water that always came out during a hear wrenching, sad moments.

Oh, yes… tears were also present at happy moments. But in no sense at all was this happy.

Motioning her to come upstairs, I smiled at Akane. She softly smiled back, the grin barely visible, but I was her family, I knew when she was happy, when she was sad, when she smiled while she was sad, and when she cried while she was happy.

I really loved this family.

One by one, we woke all the children, giving them the exciting news that they wouldn't be having to live as livestock, live as food to vampires. However, we didn't tell them that they were going to leave behind a family member. We didn't tell them that we were going to basically murder.

"How would you know which door leads to the human world?!" I scolded. How could Mika take such risks? He probably didn't know which door. And then, the plan came to the part where we would have to actually escape, we'd all just stand there like donkeys, expecting the door to materialize out of nowhere.

"No, Shirane! I have a map, okaaay?" Mika pouted, sounding like a child who just proved his mother wrong. "Thanks, mom," Akane joked, it seemed everyone was going against their 'mother'. I guess that is just a thing that happens in all families.

Anyhow, I still wasn't able to forget about that one noble the previous day. Why did he look so depressed when he saw me? I don't get it. Everything is so confusing! And who even drinks blood from someone as soon as they meet? I guess that's a way a vampire's mind would work.

I found myself staring off into space, but I quickly jerked my attention back to Mika's voice, I would miss the great explanation to his master plan. Master plan that would clearly kill me.

But what if… I'm saved? What if the virus is long gone? What if there are schools and hospitals, post offices, train stations, and so many more amazing things that the kids have not yet experienced, like school? Nope, school wasn't amazing, but I'm sure they would love to go to a school.

My heart was overwhelmed with grief and sorrow, when I realized all I was doing right then was **fantasizing.**

We slowly began the long trek to the 'door which leads to the human world', according to the map, and Mika. As soon as we stepped out of our makeshift house, all we could hear was the slow breeze, and I thought 'Wow, this is really like a sad scene in movies.'

Usually, sad scenes in movies and cartoons, the main character stands in the middle of a garden, sobbing, while air flies all around them, carrying flower petals. Those scenes in shows were really, in my point of view, _cliché._

We walked through the cold alleyway, all of the kids behind Mika, along with me. Quickly, silently, we trotted to the other side, looking around for vampires. When everything was clear, Mika motioned us all to move forward, we ran quietly to the other building, just as torn as ours.

Mika looked into his map, and then looked back up. There were such serene ceilings in Sanguinem, just looking at it, it made me feel so placid. Especially at night, everything was so calm and peaceful, you would want to sit here with a person you love, and stay there with them forever.

I was already with the people I loved. My family was here, I couldn't ask for anything else.

 _And yet I found myself smiling when I thought of_ _ **him.**_

We climbed onto the enormous bridge, the biggest one in Sanguinem. I felt my heart leap when I realized, _vampires were called the night-walkers. What if they were awake at this hour, and then were following us?_ There was a big chance of that happening. My blood froze solid.

 **I don't know what I'd** _ **do**_ **if a vampire was to find us right now.**

Anyway, we slowly crossed the bridge, not wanting our footsteps to be heard. There was always a translucent, turquoise glow to this area, no, to the entire main vampire city. It honestly gave such a still and unflustered feeling, it was beautiful.

All I could think of right then, was his tranquil eyes, how vastly lustrous they were, the entire night sky was visible there. It was an exceedingly cerise shade; it made me want to see them again. But if I saw them now…

A feeling of anguish swept over me.

I quickly brushed away the uneasy sensation, and focused on what was happening. We were walking down a path with the sewage water flowing beside us; the small spaces between the bars guarding the small spaces that we would definitely use to hide in sometime soon were enough to squeeze through.

"I can really eat curry every day?!" Daichi almost screamed, the obvious happiness clear on his face, his eyes glowing. _He can eat curry every day, but he won't be able to see me every day._ I thought silently to myself. I knew Akane, Mika, and Yuu shared this miserable lump in my throat which I wouldn't be able to swallow down, but this was for the children's sake.

Then came the footsteps.

The lump in my throat seemed to get larger, as Mika swiftly clapped a hand over Daichi's mouth, pulling him between the bars I predicted we'd go into, signaling everyone to follow him. I grabbed two confused kids' hands and pulled them in before I swept in.

It was who I thought it was. Minor vampires. They looked into the drainage system and then, hesitating for a moment, walked away. I finally felt safe.

Out of the blue, he came again, looking for the inside now. We pressed our backs to the wall, keeping as quiet as possible. He looked around, and then walked away. Now was the time to actually feel safe.

 **{She did not know the ugly feeling about to consume her.}**

We finally reached the place the map said the gate was situated. The huge, ceramic (or crystal?) door was quite far away, but we stopped for a few seconds before reaching out to freedom, smiles on out faces. Everyone was truly happy.

 _Not me,_ I thought. _Not me. I'm reaching out to death. My smile is obviously fake._

"Y'know, I was nervous at first, but we're already at the gate. Is this really the exit?" Yuu asked no one in particular. Yuu, of course, had doubts, because he is Yuu. I had my doubts too. What if the virus expanded? What if people only under five would survive? I had no idea.

"I guess the vampires never predicted we'd try to escape, because of the virus." Mika said, and his thoughts were probably true. Whatever Mika unscrambled was usually the truth. Because he was really sensible about everything, and tried to get the answer using the facts exposed to him.

"But we're still so close…" Yuu fantasized. He knew I was not going to make it.

"Barns aren't high security places either, but the livestock don't try to escape. They underestimated us," Mika said with a triumphant smile. Now that I think about it, we were probably the first ones who tried to escape. We never heard of any human escaping the vampire city.

…unless the vampires keep it a secret from us, which they probably do.

Our great escape is probably going to be big news for the rest of the individuals living as livestock. If the vampires revealed it to them.

"We're going to escape." Yuu said, stating the obvious, and it felt like he was realizing it a little too late.

"Right. We aren't livestock. I, in fact, am a genius!" Mika said proudly, although he knew he was basically going to kill one of the family members. "Me too!" One of the kids chimed in, smiling ear-to-ear. "And me!" Another innocent soul threw them into the small conversation.

With this, Mika giggled, "I guess this means everybody in the whole Hyakuya orphanage is a genius, then!" after that, he added some really cheeky lines to this first sentence. "Parenthesis, except Yuu, end parenthesis."

I able to tell Yuu was playfully offended. "You don't need parenthesis for that!" he screamed.

Once he realized what we were here for, his mood instantly brightened, and a smile spread across his face. I knew how happy he was, I felt his exhilaration, but only that mine came from watching the rest of my family smile and laugh in such a cheerful way.

I knew I was going to lose everything precious to me in a few minutes, as soon as we passed that gate and stepped out, in a matter of moments, I will probably begin to choke, cough up blood, the crimson liquid leaking from every hole in my body, and die.

 _What a horrible way to end your life,_ I thought. _Some people don't value their life, or their age._

Watching Mika and Yuu smile made me so happy, knowing I was sacrificing my life for their happiness. For a person's joy, some sacrifices have to be made, I reminded myself.

Like when you're buying ice-cream, you are obviously happy to devour the delicious treat, but you're somewhat sad about losing the amount of money you bought it with. But this situation costs a person's life, not merely just money.

At once, I heard sharp footsteps. I don't know if the others noticed it, but it was quite obvious it was there. _Someone was following us. Someone heard us._

While I was looking behind me, I failed to notice the piercing squeak that echoed in the huge vampire Capital, left by Akane. I whipped my head around, just to find the one person I was thinking of. I wanted to see him once before I left, but I was also dreading his presence.

That long, silvery hair, ruby eyes, and tall posture, there was no mistaking it. It was rather obvious that our fates were sealed to a very disappointing end.

" _I've been waiting for you… my poor little lambs."_

…

 **A/N: Please don't kill me :c I swear I tried my best for this chapter, but it ended up really short. Also I'm getting really angry at myself, because the plot has suddenly become so complicated, I have no idea how to express it…poetically, like I intended it to. The best I can do is probably in really simple and annoyingly childish words xD.**

 **That's why I'm going to take my older sister's help, who's much better at writing than I am (/^0^)/. Check out her account, Cyberina. Her work is really good!**

 **Once again, I AM SO SORRY for not updating. There will {hopefully} be more chapters, in a short time, but not until next week (next week is when my exams end). Then we have a short holiday, which I can spend time to write this, before the next semester begins.**

 **But please don't expect too much, because I'm not a very big fan of writing :c. Also, I will be having to help my mom with housework in these holidays, so I won't have much time. Sorry again :(…**

 **~Legend-chan**


	4. Cerulean Thoughts

**A/N: I am honestly trying my best for this story. I hope people will support me throughout the whole thing (^-^). Even though, I bet the ending is going to make everyone want to throw rocks at me… anyway! I have the whole story, every small crevice, thought out, but I just don't know how to put this into words… so I won't be ranting here, let's get on with the story! ^_^**

" _I've been waiting for you…my poor little lambs."_

His dark, intimidating words rang through the entire Capital, his threatening voice echoing in my brain. Why did I want to see him again? This scared feeling inside, this sensation of being inferior to the noble perched on the railings in front of me, I feel so vulnerable, so defenseless…

Is this what it feels like to let the fact that your fate is sealed sink in?

Although dying at the hands of vampire royalty sounded much better than having to die of that deadly virus. I still remember the faces of those dying people, the face of our loving caretaker… I never want to experience that again. I want to it to happen to me either.

I tried to shake these selfish thoughts out of my head, but they immediately vanished when I heard his sinister voice cut through the huge room.

"Yes, that face! The expression a human's face when their hope instantly turns into despair. That is why I've been playing your little game." I turned my face to Mika, whose eyes looked lifeless, so empty. While everyone else was alarmed and thinking of ways to escape this monster, he was probably going even farther into the future, and thinking about who will bury our bodies.

Mika widened his eyes, his face flushing. He was obviously thinking what everyone else was thinking. But it was Yuu who put it into words for all of us. "Game?! Do you mean…this was a trap?!"

Suddenly, at lighting speed, he dashed past us, and before we had time to react, he had Sukumi in his steel grip, unpleasant choking noises coming out of her throat. In a second, her eyes lost all its life. He dropped her to the floor, his tone mocking guilt.

"Oh dear, I drank too much. It's dead already."

That's when I felt it… that strong hatred, which I've never felt before. In a normal situation like this, the average person would feel fear, but instead, knowing I'd have no success, I wanted to throw my small frame at him, try to inflict some wound before he killed me.

It was almost like the same thing I felt when that filthy excuse of a 'baby-sitter' killed my sister…but much stronger.

Yuu's eyes widened and he pulled out…a white gun? It had intricate golden designs on it, but I never saw it before… I'll ask them later, if I survive.

"Damn you!" he screamed with obvious rage and pulled the trigger. The bullet shot towards Ferid, tearing a thin flash of grey before it reached him. He dodged it like he was playing a simple game of dodgeball with a ten-year-old.

Yuu looked so surprised, like it wasn't obvious he'd miss the shot. "Not from here, Yuu-chan! You'll never hit that monster at this distance!" Mika tried to advise Yuu, and for once, Yuu listened to him. The cryptic vampire devilishly chuckled in response.

"Oh dear, is that _my_ gun? So you filched that along with the map?" he spoke with mock sorrow. So that's where Yuu got it from… I can't believe Mika risked his life for something like that.

"It'd be a shame if I revealed what else you have that belongs to me…" his silky voice resonated through the area, making the hair on my entire stand up straight. Then he glanced over to my direction and sneered.

Did he just say that I belong to him?

Even though this feeling inside made me vibrate with anger and abhorrence, those words…they somehow made my face flush.

"You still have more power left in you to resist?" His mocking tone spread fear in our veins. "Well then, allow me to give you one more little shard of hope…"

He was probably going to tell us something we knew we wouldn't be able to achieve, only to sadden us more. After all, watching human grief _was_ his goal.

Seeing that no one wanted to stop him from destroying our happiness still more, he spoke, "You see…that map is real. If you run down this hallway to that door, you will exit out into the outer world."

That almost shook our faith. My heartbeat felt like it was increasing every second, but I guess that was happening to everyone. We didn't believe this would turn out like this…this is not what our innocent ears expected to hear.

We were so close…yet an unbreakable obstacle was in our way. When we were told that this was all a trap, we thought that this really wasn't the exit to the outer world. We wanted to escape… all we wanted was freedom. Was that too much to ask for?

"Should you make it that far…I will have a difficult time following. As you walk the thin line between despair and hope, I wonder what your voices will sound like when you scream."

This really scared me. He was being really intimidating and I didn't want to mess with him at this point.

Goddamnit! What was I thinking back there?! _'I want to see him again'_?!

"R…" Yuu mumbled. He suddenly whipped back, throwing his hand into the air. "Run! Everybody! We have to make a run for it! Sprint for the exit!" Yuu really was dumb! He was dumb enough to think that these young kids will be able to live without him!

As all the kids ran, crying, for the exit, Yuu screamed once again, "Run!"

Then he turned to Mika. "Mika! You, I and Shirane will hold Ferid off! We need to buy the kids enough time!" I knew I was going to die out there… so instead why shouldn't I hold him off instead? Mika and Yuu could still make it. "No…!" I objected, but seeing Ferid's wicked grin stopped me.

My chest was heaving up and down; my heart beat was fast enough to make my heart pop out of my chest any second. I really didn't know how to describe this feeling, but I definitely didn't like it. Before Mika, Yuu or I had any time to move, Ferid had slashed at least six more people's necks.

It was so heartbreaking to watch everything in shock like this.

Then, the vampire turned around, smirking at us. "…didn't I just tell you?" he vulgarly said. "I want to see your faces twist in despair."

Ferid walked around, killing every innocent, crying face he saw. Then it was finally Akane's turn. She was the one we were closest to in the entire orphanage, apart from Mika or Yuu. She was the first one to make friends with me when I first came to this place, when I felt lonely and rejected.

And now… I was watching drop dead in front of my eyes, unable to do anything about it. She was my best friend, my only moral support. Even that was slipping out of my reach.

When everyone was killed, Mika turned to his last escape. "The gun. Give it to me," he ordered Yuu. " _I'll_ be the one to put my life on the line to hold him off. _You_ escape." Yuu obviously wasn't going to accept it. "What…?"

Finally, he lost it. "No way, you **blockhead!** I can't just leave you!" I felt so… left out. They were discussing who would die and who would escape without me… although I can't really blame them; I was going to die anyway, even if I escaped.

"Yuu-chan…never forget." Mika soothingly reassured him, like a mother singing a lullaby to her child in the night, waiting for him to go to sleep. Mika was always so motherly. If I somehow miraculously lived, I would definitely never forget him.

" **We're family."** Mika said, giving a heart-wrenchingly weak smile, before he turned to me. Did I finally have a place on his 'To apologize to' list? "Shirane nee-san…" he mumbled, tears filling his eyes. "I-I'm so sorry… for disobeying you when I know you were wishing for the good of me…"

He started sobbing, and I hugged him…one last time.

He wasn't even like my younger brother, he was like my son. Everyone in the Hyakuya orphanage was like my child. I felt like I had the responsibilities of a mother over them. I loved Mika… I loved Yuu… I loved everyone from this orphanage.

Now they were being harshly ripped from my reach.

Mika turned away from me and sprinted towards the heartless beast, eyes burning with determination. He wanted to buy enough time for Yuu to get away. But like the egg-head he is, he just stood there, staring with disbelief. I couldn't blame him; I didn't believe this was happening either.

I wanted to push Yuu harder, to persuade him to leave. But with all that happened all of a sudden, I felt like I was frozen in place. It felt like that ever since Ferid appeared, in the dead of night, while we were trying to foolishly escape.

"Aha, Mikaela. Your blood was particularly delicious. Thank you for the treat!" Ferid snickered, and even though Mika was a shy step away from shooting him, he didn't move an inch. Instead, when Mika got close enough, he only smiled wickedly, and I couldn't take in what happened next.

Ferid grabbed him by the neck, making the worst humane gurgles coming from Mika's throat. He then extended his hand and shot Mika straight in his chest, probably a hairs' length away from his heart. Still smiling a heartless, mocking smile like that…

Then Mika pointed his gun at him. Ferid did **not** like this bold move. To prevent him from shooting, like he was ripping an insect's limb, he cut Mika's arm off, just sliced it away, with the flesh and bone. Mika dropped the gun, dazed.

That came down on me worse than when my world had shattered. It felt like the broken pieces of me just…broke further, and were breaking further still. Mika was…the whole world to me. I treasured him more than the others in the orphanage, more that Yuu, or even Akane.

He was my little, innocent brother, to me, he was like my child…but which mother watches her even as child being de-limbed by a unfeeling, ruthless blood-sucker while not being able to do anything? If I was that type of a mother…I should never have a child.

Watching Ferid cruelly chop Mika up, must have really triggered Yuu's childish anger.

Yuu bolted over to the bloodied gun on the cold, marble floor, and picked it up. This gun didn't seem to be like normal guns, where you have to throw the used bullet out of its interior. It also appeared to have, like, endless bullets. You wouldn't even need to reload.

Yuu aimed his gun at an unsuspecting Ferid, clearly burning with irritation, wrath and hatred. " **Die.** " He menacingly said, not fooling anyone. But with reckless twelve-year-old here, had a real gun and would do anything to shoot the one person he so much hated.

His finger quickly closed in on the metal trigger, and before I knew it…

 _ **BANG.**_

The shot was so loud, resonating through the huge place. It shook my consciousness, making me dizzy. As soon as Ferid fell, we heard sharp, clear footsteps. " **There they are!** Over there! Lord Ferid has collapsed. After them!"

Running over to Mika, I and Yuu quickly started shooting alarmed words out of our throats. Even though they came out as incoherent, garbled croaks, Mika had been part of our lives long enough to understand what we meant, without even having to hear what we had to say.

He'd look at our eyes and…he'd know.

A small, guilty part of me wanted to run over to Ferid and tend to his wounds…if he was still alive, that is. The thought of him dying was actually really… saddening. I don't know how to put it. It caused me shamefaced grief.

But right now, my top priority was Mika. He was sobbing, panting and yet still looking out for us. He didn't even ask once for us to save him. He was in fact pushing us to leave him and get out on our own. No matter how remorseful I feel whilst saying this, but I would have pleaded to be saved.

"Y-Yuu-chan…the exit is…right there…follow the map…" he huffed out the words, between chokes of blood. No matter how hard I try, I will never understand the way of being selfless. I want to change myself into a person who puts others before themselves, but…I end up thinking of only myself.

" **NO!** _I'm not leaving you behind!_ " Yuu screamed. By now the vampires were almost here. Yuu glanced over to the vampires and his sobbing turned worse. Mika was still worrying about us and not himself. Maybe that was because he knew he was done for.

"Go...hurry…" he slowly said, the energy in his voice and life in his eyes fading. It was heartbreaking; but it was more painful for me because I've known Mika for much, much longer than Yuu. But I didn't want to break that news to Yuu. He thought he was the most important person in Mika's life.

"I…I don't wanna…" Yuu finally let the tears out. They dropped on Mika's face, but Mika seemed so motionless, so still…just like a mannequin. This would have been close to a sad movie ending scene, if Yuu didn't make that ugly expression.

"You're my…my family…I finally found a real family…! I can't leave you!" With all his might, Mika turned around, only to find that the vampires were right behind us. A few more seconds and we are killed. Then Mika finally lost it.

All his life returned to his eyes and this was probably the angriest I've ever seen Mika. " **You idiot! Get out of here!** "

This even scared Yuu. Mika extended his arm and shoved Yuu away, pushing him about a foot away. They both were so angry, and also sobbing, with the salty liquid running down their eyes. I still…felt left out of it all.

Yuu finally realized what to do. He got up and darted out. "Yuu-chan…" he whispered. "That was the first time…you called us family..."

"What about…you…?" Mika silently asked. I whipped my head around to him. Was he talking to me?

"M-me?! Well… I'm going to die if I go out there. So I'd rather stay here with you instead." Mika weakly smiled. He replied with a soft 'thanks' before the vampires made it here. "What the hell has happened here?! Lord Ferid has been shot!"

The vampires' voices rang loudly from behind us and I wasn't half as ready to accept death. "How dare you livestock raise a finger against a noble?!" One of the vampire minors attacked me from behind, grabbing both my wrists and pinning them above my head on the icy limestone.

Before he had time to demand answers from me, a soft, faint _'tap'_ was heard from the rear. " **Hold it.** " A tiny yet increasingly dangerous voice spoke, and I knew instantly who it was. "That human belongs to **me.** "

"H-her majesty…what are you doing here…?" The vampire above me said, stuttering. It was the highest ranking vampire in the entire of Japan. _The Queen._

"Oh dear…" she mockingly spoke, but her expression was that of a dummy. "Spilling so much of delicious smelling blood…he's done for." I had one question in mind; why do they never notice me? Why always Mika? Was my presence _really_ that low?

"…well?" She said impassively. The creeps were travelling all around my body at that moment. Seeing the Queen, the vampire on top of me moved, but he was still holding both my wrists behind my back. Gosh, his grip was stronger than that of a handcuff. "Don't you have some explaining to do…"

This made me really nervous.

"… _ **Ferid Bathory?**_ _"_

Mika's eyes noticeably widened, and a true expression of horror spread across his face. Ferid, from where he was lying on the ground, outstandingly smirked, and then got up, sitting leisurely. "Well! If it isn't our Queen, Krul Tepes!" he spoke fearlessly.

"Long time no see. You're as beautiful as ever." Ferid cooed, evidently mocking her. But she wasn't buying it. "Why, thank you. Your lewd smile never changes either." Even though Mika was clearly _horrified_ by the fact that Ferid was still alive, that small part of me was relieved.

I felt so extremely ashamed. I wasn't supposed to feel this way.

"That was mean…I just got shot in the head," Ferid insultingly pouted, clearly making fun of the Queen, "yet my love for you managed to bring a smile to my lips." Was it wrong that I was actually feeling kind of jealous? Although I knew he was only teasing her, and Krul even stated it in her next sentence.

"You call love?" She said, laughing softly. "All you love about me is my political power!" This made Ferid cackle. "You know me all too well, Queen."

"So tell me…" She inquired. "How could the seventh founder…be shot by merely a human child? This is a joke, right? No one would believe it."

But Ferid's response was just a simple smile and the words, "And yet, it is the truth." But it seemed Krul wasn't ready to believe him that easily. " **It isn't.** "

"You let them out on purpose. My seraphs… one ran away, while the other is on the verge of death…" Mika was still lying there, half dead and panting. I wondered, _what is a seraph?_ "If you have a plausible explanation for what happened, I'd be glad to hear it now…"

" **I don't think so…** " Ferid openly and confidently opposed her. I'd be too scared to say a word in front of her, whether it be good or bad. "…isn't it you who owes me an explanation?" Ferid continued with his explanation, as if reading my mind. I didn't understand anything. What wrong did the Queen do?

It was honestly scary watching have this heated and yet calm argument. This terrifying aura that they emitted petrified me… I'm now glad the vampire was still holding me captive.

"Isn't it against the law of the vampire world to meddle with the curse of the seraphs? What if I mentioned this to the council of the noble finders?" Ferid was definitely prying into an extremely treacherous issue here…

I had absolutely no idea whether Krul was playing dumb, or she actually knew what he was saying. "Eh? I didn't hear you. What was it again that you want to mention to the vampire council?" Ferid didn't take the hint. "Well…about this incident…"

That was the end for him.

Krul lost her temper. I was told many times that the Queen was scary, but I didn't expect her to be _this_ violent. I always heard minor vampires around me talking about it. _"Isn't the Queen the Third Founder? I never really met her in person." "I've met her. Believe me; even though she rules this place magnificently, she has a very short temper. She will snap at anyone."_

She pounced towards Ferid, stabbing her hand into him, but he barely dodged it. She tried slashing him again, but he was too far away. Watching this spread an undying fear all throughout my brain. This place was worse than I'd ever think…

She bolted towards him again, kicking him right in the face. I probably sound like a referee right now, but this was really serious. In the distance, I thought I saw Ferid distinctly chuckle and mumble something which I could obviously not hear.

She hacked at him again, but now Ferid tried to defend himself, but his arm got sliced off. He let his guard down due to the shock, and so, she struck him again, causing him to fall down. Then, with her high heel, she stepped right on his trachea.

This got me alarmed. I wanted to help him… but I stayed in place. I knew I would get killed.

Krul was really terrifying. " **I didn't hear you…do you mind repeating that?** " Ferid didn't seem scared at all, while here I was shivering. "Don't be so brutal, Krul. I know it can be reattached, but it still hurts when you cut my arm off." there was false grief in his voice, which really sounded real. It broke my heart.

Krul's response was equally as vicious. " **Shall I cut off your head too?** "

Ferid _still_ didn't seem fazed. "That would be a problem…alright. I give up. You win," Ferid said, finally defending himself. "I won't poke my nose into this incident anymore." To me, it looked like Krul still wasn't really to believe him.

She looked at him, angrily yet doubtfully, before he spoke again. "I mean it. I know I can't go against the third founder and survive to tell the story," Krul sighed wearily before giving him a final warning, before stepping off his throat.

"Okay, but don't you dare pry into this matter again," Ferid assured her with the words, "Don't worry, I care about my life."

Krul looked at him again, her crimson eyes boiling with wrath. " **Now leave.** " She ordered. Ferid chuckled again. "Alright, but I'll be back, Krul." He looked at her menacingly, yet with a smile, as he said, "Because I love you!" Krul scoffed at this, before asking the vampire holding Mika, "How's the human?"

The vampire fearfully replied, "H-he's almost stopped breathing," Krul walked over to Mika, and was about to ask him something, when the vampire holding me choked out, "What do we do with the girl…?"

Krul looked at him furiously, obviously angry because she was interrupted in the middle of a sentence. "We kill her," she replied, obviously annoyed. "Y-yes, your majesty." I was so scared, so, so scared. I didn't want to die; I really didn't want to die.

Then something unsuspecting happened. Ferid, while he was walking away, quickly turned around at Krul's words, and cried, "W-wait!" that was the first time I had seen him, no, any noble, so distressed. Krul looked at him, disgusted. "What do you want with her?"

"Why…will you kill her?" Krul looked really disappointed at his words. "Can't we just put her back into the life of being livestock?" Krul narrowed her eyes, the orbs passionate with rage. "If we put her back, she might tell others about this incident. Then others will try to escape, getting scared of us, and that'll be her fault. We can't risk that,"

Ferid's eyes… they spat betrayal. "Then…can't I keep her?" Krul suddenly grew happy, but it was obviously only to mock him. "What? You found the other one?" Krul softly chuckled. Then she glanced at me. Walking over to me, she put her index finger under my chin and forced my head up.

Then, smirking, she told Ferid, "Oh, I see. _That_ is why you want her?" Then she openly laughed, walking away from me and towards Mika. "Fine, you can have her. But don't tell anyone else, or else you'll be killed." Krul said emotionlessly, before Ferid walked over to me, and snatched me from the grip of the vampire. The vampire frightfully bowed.

"Human!" she yelled at Mika. "Do you want life? I can give you an eternal existence," Knowing Mika, he wouldn't want it. "I'm…not interested…" he said with what small amount of energy he had left. Krul smiled.

"I see. So life holds no interest for you, huh?" she said, blood dripping from her lips. "I'm not giving you an option. You will drink my blood…and no longer be a human."

 **A/N: There you go, the new chapter! This was done pretty quickly. Anyways, things are getting real from here. In the next chapter, there will be a time-skip of two and a half years (not fully four years, like in the anime.)**

 **Again, I'm so sorry for disappearing for three months :(. Hopefully I can get up two more chapters before my school begins again. I'm so not ready for the next semester (T0T).**

 **Anyway, my exams are ending tomorrow. I can start writing again! Writing fan fiction is really difficult, do please don't expect too much.**

 **~Legend-chan**


	5. Dulcet Touches

**A/N: HELLO! HELLO! HELLO!**

 **Please don't hurt me ;u; I know I am like, half a year late on this update, but let me tell you that I had a ton oh assignments and class tests, and then BAM!** _ **FINALS?!  
**_ **You heard it, my finals had begun. Because of my absolutely strict parents, my laptop was off-limits. That's the reason behind my extremely slow updates.  
But now I'm on SUMMER BREAK! Finally! I guess the chapters will be updated frequently now, but I can't promise anything. I also have to work on a lot of unfinished art WIPs.  
Also, this fiction is going to get VERY complex. I'm not going to rant here anymore, let's get on with the story! **

How long had it been? I don't know. I lost track of the days. I lived here unconsciously. I had no goal in mind, how long was I going to be caged here anyway?

I wouldn't call it being 'caged' really. I liked it here, no matter how harsh the restriction of leaving my dungeon was. I didn't want to see the faces of the suffering 'livestock' anyway, it reminded me too much of my family for any comfort.

I missed them. I was miserable. Not a day passed when I didn't think of their smiling, joyful faces. They made a place so terrible glow with their ecstasy. They never failed to find bliss in the most sorrowful of things. In a crushed flower, they would look for the fragrance.

After that night, that gruesome, dreadful darkness, everything had changed. Mika… forgot how to smile. Even thinking of the possibility that Yuu might be alive and waiting for Mika to help him, he wasn't able to smile.

Although I said I had lost count of the days I'd been locked in here, I had probably been 18 month sat most. Yuu would have become thirteen or older by now; while I was stuck in the fragile body of an anemic fifteen year old.

I wanted out. I said earlier I liked the place here, but I have realized, I'm sick of it. I've had it with the eternal darkness, in the hands of a parasite. I wanted to see the sunlight again.

I lay curled up in the large, queen-sized bed, wrapped in clean sheets with a fluffy, snow-white blanket. The pillow under my aching head provided no warmth. No one did, really. There was no one I could turn to, no one I could hold close to me and feel the heat radiating from their being.

Everyone here was a cold blooded human mosquito.

Even Mika… he also turned unfriendly, aloof, distant… he was right beside me yet I felt like he was another world away. I wondered how the vampire queen, Krul Tepes, third progenitor, was treating him. Was she hurting him in a sort of way that made him want to cut his ties with everyone else?

Another part of me was sure she wasn't hurting him. I've heard many rumors of Mika being the queen's 'favorite'. Why would she damage him in any way? I also heard her calling him her 'seraph' a year ago. If I'm right, 'seraph' should mean, 'an angel with more than one wing'.

Was Mika an angel? Does he have wings? I had never heard of this term before.

I cuddled closer to the thick, cold blanket and let the tears fall from my eyes. I missed Mika. I missed Akane. I missed Yuu. I missed everyone. I missed them so much… I wanted them to be back. Every night they would appear in my dreams. They were the main object of my dreams as well as nightmares.

Every time I had a nightmare, I would turn to the person who caused that tragedy. I would scold myself for seeking condolence from the predator who slaughtered my dearest companions. Why did I run to him in desperation? I didn't have the answer myself.

I want to know what in me makes me think that a murderer could hold me close and tell me everything will be okay. Maybe the fact that he does reassure me of that no one will hurt me in his presence makes me turn to him for security.

As soon as my throbbing headache was about to sedate me, I heard the large door creak on its hinges. I didn't want anyone interrupting my awfully needed sleep. I didn't show any consideration to the sound of that door opening, and continued to pretend to be asleep.

"…Aren't you going to welcome me back, darling?"

Oh, my God. I absolutely despised it when he called me names like that. But, some part of my dysfunctional brain felt so extremely ecstatic whenever he referred to me in that loving way.

"…welcome back…" I mumbled slowly, not wanting to look the slaughterer in the eye. I heard his light footsteps coming closer, getting louder. He sat down behind me on the edge of the huge bed, patting my head tenderly, like I was a pet.

"That's my girl~" he cooed, his voice close to my ear. I shuddered, my heart suddenly racing. This kind of thing happens every day…yet it never fails to make my cheeks dust a light pink.

"…So?" I said, getting right to the point. If he went somewhere out today, there was definitely something fishy going on. I wanted more excitement in my life, so I decided to dig all the juicy details out of him. "Hmm~?" he asked, it was quite obvious he was confused.

"What did you do today? Did you meet the queen?" I spoke; I wanted to know more, as much as there was to know, about the third progenitor.

Suddenly, his bright, playful eyes darkened. He looked at me grimly, while I took my time sitting up on the bed, which would be so much fun to bounce on. Yet I had no intention of doing so.

"Did I… say something wrong?" I inquired with a low voice. I didn't wish to provoke him any further. There was a moment of deafening silence before he decided to answer me. "Talking about that… I feel dehydrated," He was vague, but I understood him better than anyone else would.

"Oh…" I replied as politely as I could. "So…" I said slowly, I knew what he wanted but I didn't like to get right to the point in situations like these. Slowly, I pushed my hair to the right, exposing a large part of the left side of my neck. The skin was already littered with scars and wounds, but I wasn't too interested in those.

I squeezed my eyes shut, giving him the privacy of doing his deed full of guilt in concealment. After a moment, I felt light breath on my skin and then there was a stabbing pain. Like getting a shot, first the doctor consoles you by rubbing an alcohol pad on your skin then stabs the needle into your skin.

My already feeble body, pale with anemia, lost more blood. I wasn't even being fed properly, and my blood was being taken away constantly.

I clutched his shoulders tightly as my body started feeling like it was about to freeze, although the temperature in this room was normal. I trembled, cold sweat leaving my sweat pores. After a few more seconds of agony, I gently whispered, "I'm feeling weak…"

He instantly left me, and as soon as he did, I collapsed. I fell, expecting my face to meet the floor and surely break my nose or something. Instead, I fell into soft cloth, nuzzling my head into the fabric, desperately searching for warmth. When all I found was frosty skin, I curled up into my forlorn little ball, sobbing gently. "I apologize, dear, but you know I'm not human…"

"I want…to be with one of my own kind…" I replied to his statement of the gloomy truth. He answered with the words I never wanted to hear, ever. "I could turn you, and you would be with your own kind."

My eyes widened. "I don't want to be one of you." I answered firmly. Chuckling, he replied, "Alright, I swear I won't do anything like that." I was always afraid to sleep, because I thought he'd turn me while I was in fatigue. I remembered Mika, how much he would hate me now, that he got turned into one of the parasites he loathed, while I was spared.

Who was it that turned Mika again? Oh, right, it was the queen.

The queen… she was an object of hatred in my eyes. She would constantly attack my captor, which caused him to lose blood, and then he would take mine since he can't produce his own. Maybe it _was_ his fault for provoking her to point that she would attack him harshly enough to draw blood.

I didn't understand the relationship between those two. If the queen hated him so much, why didn't she just kill him, the sooner the better? Was he holding some important information? I didn't ever understand. I was too scared to ask anyway.

 **IN TOWN, WHERE YUU LIVES:**

 _Guren's P.O.V.-_

That brat, Yuu. Who does he think he is? I am a senior. I am eight years older to him, and he thinks he is superior! I would have had this little monster executed by now if it weren't for that valuable demon in him.

Why am I even visited his un-swanky apartment anyway? Is there some stupid demon inside of me, too? What made me think, "Hey! Seems like a great idea to visit the guy who kicked my face yesterday in the middle of the night,"?!

Whatever made me do it, it was powerful. It _made_ me do it.

So here I am. Staring at his unholy face while he sleeps. I don't know what I'm trying to accomplish here, but I felt like it. This imp doesn't even lock his door while sleeping.

He's turning. It's slow, but he turned from his back to his side, and also mumbling something. Wait… he's _mumbling?!_ He's never done that before.

What is he saying? I put my ear close to him, however disgusting that made me feel, crouching low in the process. I caught his words, but I was in a dilemma of what they meant.

" _Shirane… your seraph… of the end…"_

 **A/N: Hi ;u;  
Yes, there goes the big secret. Shirane has a seraph of the end in her.  
But LISTEN! NO, I'm not trying to turn her into a Mary-Sue. She has this seraph for **_**several**_ **reasons. If this demon wasn't in her, this story would be pointless.  
Well then, reader-san! See ya later ~ d(^u^)b  
P.S. **_**sorry for the extremely short chapter xD**_

 **~Legend-chi**


	6. Raveling Thoughts

**A/N: So, when did I last update?  
Okay, I am extremely sorry for not updating regularly (0.0) I hope I will be able to update more frequently now- I know I said my holidays started, but, before I knew it, half of my holidays are over! What am I to do know?!  
I'll stop complaining about my life problems now, let's get on with the story- *soft sobbing***

 _GUREN'S P.O.V. ~_

I walked slowly down the long hallway, not wanting to face the man I had something to report to. The guilt of my actions subsided in the back of my mind, but I knew it was the right thing to do…or maybe it wasn't. I wasn't the one to decide such things.

The large door at the end of the seemingly endless corridor waited there, as it did always. I entered this room every day, but today it was ostensibly more menacing. That was possibly because of the atmosphere created by the person waiting inside.

 _-Flashback-_

 _Closing the door behind me, I quickly unbuttoned the uncomfortable JIDA uniform, pushing it off my shoulders and hanging it clumsily in the wardrobe. Not that I cared, though._

 _The thin, white fabric of the undershirt was still too sore and prickly, leading me to unfasten the few buttons on it. Throwing my large frame on the bed, I kicked the covers off. It made a scary, loud noise._

" _Summer is the worst…" I breathed out to myself, softly. I turned onto my side before shifting my thoughts to what was going on in my head._

 _That Yuu, such a young boy, how was he capable of annoying the whole army? That small, petite build… I wondered how he had so much determination in that small heart of his.  
Speaking of the boy, he apparently talks in his sleep. Not much of a surprise, but he talks about some confidential stuff._

 _For example, today, he was talking about some girl's Seraph. Probably his adopted sisters'.  
We needed those Seraph's. _

_I sat up, tiredly trudging over to the dresser, which contained lots of drawers. Grabbing onto the handle of the topmost one, I pulled at it. It refused to open. I tugged harshly, and that's when it opened with a slight_ _ **crack**_ _noise. That's what I expected anyway, I hadn't opened this drawer for months._

 _It contained a cell phone. I never used electronics, what use were they of anyway? At the very least, I had no time for them either. I picked up the small piece of impracticality and held it in front of me. Just as I was about to press the power button, there was a soft knock on the door._

 _Startled, I stared at the rectangular slice of wood. Then I answered gruffly, "Come in," I wasn't in the mood for talking with any other human. I had no desire for any type of contact. But maybe I would accept an animal for company…_

 _The small entry opened with a gentle creak. A familiar face peeked through the frame. "G-Guren-sama?" the soft voice said with a hint of doubt. I knew this voice, and her face. It was Sayuri, my comrade in battle. Looking at her sleepy face made me feel a sharp pang of shame and remorse. I might have woken her up from slumber._

" _What are you here for?" I spoke, getting straight to the point. Beating around the bush was not my cup of tea. "U-um…" her face colored a bright pink. "It's not what you think…" she stammered._

" _I know that," My voice had not a hint of emotion. "W-what are you doing awake at…at this hour?" she replied, taking a small pause to yawn._

" _I wasn't sleepy, so I thought I'd surf the net for a while," I lied right through my teeth, waving the phone in my hand, and she innocently believed it. "Right…" she said, looking at the floor with her gentle eyes._

" _It's not healthy to s-stay up very late, you might oversleep and be in trouble… s-so it's best you go to sleep quickly, ok…?" There she goes again, being the 'mom-friend' she always is. She has primitive beliefs, but I didn't want to tell her that so coldly, so I simply replied with a friendly, "Sure. Goodnight."_

 _She meekly gave me one of her humble smiles and closed the door with a click, and I heard her footsteps fade from outside the room. Sighing, I stared at the phone in my hands._

 _I switched it back on and sat down on the large wooden chair as it did so. As soon as the home screen flashed on the phone, it gave a notification which seemed urgent. "Battery low, huh…" I glanced at the battery percentage. It was at thirteen percent._

 _The time displayed on the screen was 4:36, anti-meridian. It sure was late._

 _I clicked on the application called 'contacts', and scrolled through until I found the one I was searching for. I pressed on the contact called "The Furry Eyebrow Man", chuckling to myself as I proceeded to call him. One of the benefits of having a cell was that you get to name anyone absolutely anything._

 _After four rings, Kureto picked up._

" _What is it?"  
"You're not going to say 'hello'? Rude,"  
"Like you're one to speak,"  
"Says the one who-"  
"_ _ **What it is?**_ _"_

 _I scowled before answering him._

" _Yuichiro Hyakuya. His adoptive sister also has a Seraph. And I reckon she's alive,"  
"What are you saying?"  
"Are you deaf or stupid?"  
"Is that a way to talk to your superior?"_

 _The anger was boiling inside me. I scoffed before I replied,_

" _I have something important to tell you, so we meet tomorrow,"  
"Can't you say it here?"  
"My phone is about to die,"  
"You're so careless."_

 _Not giving me a chance to reply, he hung up._

 _-End of Flashback-_

So, here I was, making my way to the room where Kureto sat, waiting for me. Why was he the first person who came to my mind when I thought of that Seraph in Yuu's sister? I don't know. Just what is going on in my mind? Why am I not able to figure out myself?!

I stopped in front of the large door, the carved gargoyles guarding the door. The designs on the decorated piece of wood made me want to throw up. Who had the time to do this kind of useless thing after the apocalypse and the virus?

I harshly knocked on the sturdy door, the sound reverberating through the empty hall. It wasn't that late, but being five in the evening meant most of the armies were out at war.

"Come in," the familiar voice stated. I pushed the heavy door open and greeted the man inside with my usual scowl. "What is it that you wanted to tell me?"

"I feel like we need that girl's Seraph." I said, surprising myself with how honest I was.

"What makes you think that way? And how are you sure she's alive?" he replied in that frustrating, monotone voice. "Yuu will fight back if we tell him we want his Seraph. That girl, on the other hand, is not a part of the army; she doesn't even know we exist. And on top of that, she's a _woman._ She probably won't have the energy or will to fight back."

He scoffed before mumbling, "What a sexist," but quickly regained his posture and replied to me more forcefully, "What about her still being alive? How do you think in that way?"

I vigorously forced the lump in my throat down and spoke daintily, "Yuu told me a certain vampire took a liking to her. I feel like he doesn't intend to kill her," I averted my eyes, feeling uncomfortable.

"A _vampire?_ Of what rank was it?"

" _He,"_ I corrected him. Even though they were detestable, it wasn't proper etiquette to call them as though they were things. They are more powerful than us anyway.

" **What rank?** " he said, with more force this time.

"He is a Seventh progenitor," I deftly replied. Kureto's eyes widened to the size of teacups. "If she's serving a vampire of _that_ rank… she must be very important. How do we capture her?"

"I suggest we send an army of a small number," I said. Kureto might have thought I lost my brains, but I was speaking with much intelligence. "And we don't attack straight away. We pretend to be minor vampires, make our way into where the girl is kept, faint her, and carry her back. Doesn't it sound quite easy?" I adeptly added, a smile finding its way onto my face.

Kureto stared at his desk, as if he was contemplating whether to go with my idea or not. The truth was, I stayed awake the whole night trying to come up with something. Why was I so much into the idea of capturing her?

"Your plan is well thought-out, but I'm not sure if it may succeed," He wasn't making a lot of sense. This was his way of indirectly saying, " _No._ " But instead of leaving myself hanging on the thinnest branch, I just asked his instead. "So, are we doing it?"

He smirked faintly before answering in a authoritative tone-

" _We're executing the plan."_

 **A/N: -** _ **DRUMROLLS**_ **-**

 **New arc! FINALLY, we're getting somewhere with the story.  
Now there will be more cliffhangers!  
I wonder if anyone is still reading this-**

 **See you later, then, reader-san! \\(^0^\\)**

 **~Legend-chi**


	7. Serene Footsteps

**A/N: I think I am updating regularly now –sobs-  
I am really trying hard to update. I am not going anywhere this year for the summer break, which means I have more time, but I feel so… I don't know how to describe it. I feel like, 'Why am I even writing this?' because this fiction is based almost entirely on Ferid's past and his ties to all the different people. I feel like any moment now, Takaya Kagami will release what happened in his past and my story won't make sense anymore.  
Sorry for the rant, here is the chapter you came here for-**

It was, in the least, absolutely _boring._ What fun was it to reside safely in a room which looked like a hotel suite and just… lay in bed all day? I also occasionally had my blood taken, which adds to the cruelty. I liked the idea of being sucked in that way, but I hated the anemia.

Sometimes the most sumptuous luxury could be tiring, like in my case.

So, what choice was this curious presence that dwelled within me left with? The only sane option I was left with was to exit the damned room. I wasn't allowed to leave the mansion, I strictly wasn't. The only times I left this room was to use the restroom or to shower. I have lived a year and a half this way.

It was so excruciatingly monotonous and unquestionably tedious.

I lay there, on top of the sheets, thinking of the most incoherent things. The topics in my mind change rapidly, I didn't have enough time to remember what I was thinking about. Then, in a sudden change of events, my mind wandered to …Mika.

I hadn't seen him in quite a few days. How was he doing? I was fully aware he refuses to drink human blood, and I don't think living on a vampires' blood is that easy. It was then I realized I hadn't had much, no, _any,_ human contact in the past year.

No, Ferid does _not_ identify as human. Nonetheless, I did enjoy his company. Where was he? The thought hadn't occurred to me before. Where does he go? At the most random of times, he grabs his weapon, and tells me, _"I'll be back soon."_

I never really questioned him about where he went. It wasn't any of my business, and I felt it would anger him. The most unusual of things angers him.

 _ **-Flash back-**_

 _I stared at myself in the large piece of the looking-glass. I decided to put up my long hair in a bunch of self-thought ideas (more like a pathetic excuse of hairstyling), because what else was a bored girl with inhumanly long tresses supposed to do?_

 _I had quite the tight ringlets when I was fourteen. They were pretty short, too. But during these few months, I had stopped caring for this laughable apology of locks. The curls also grew loose. I shampooed it ever-so-rarely, but that was mostly because the shampoo in this place smelled vaguely like tomato-flavored spaghetti.  
Maybe that explains why Ferid always smells so… delicious._

 _That was the weirdest thing I've ever thought. Mentally slapping myself, I vowed to never do any more unholy, sinful thinking ever again._

 _Anyway, I admire the gorgeous hairdo I did all on my own. These strands of hair, that would probably be rotting, didn't fall off my head because of how much concentration and carefulness Ferid treated them with._

 _My hair reached my knees when it wasn't tied, annoying as it was, it was also quite pretty._

 _The thing resting on my skull was something I figured out all by myself, not quite literally though, because I always watched Ferid's fingers' swift movements every time he braided my hair in this way. It was apparently called a 'French-styled braid'. He would part my hair from the middle, braid the two sections of it, and then curl them up into small, cute, messy buns which I personally thought I looked adorable in._

 _This hairstyle, though, was a distorted version. It was a single braid going down my back, but since I couldn't do it without looking at what I was doing in the mirror, it ended up being slightly pushed to the side, and it seemed to be stuck in that way. A lot of my hair escaped while I was trying my hardest to do this hairdo, and it ended up framing my face, which surprisingly looked good. It reached my waist._

 _I heard the door softly creak as it opened, and a familiar, tall figure entered the large room. My face brightened instantly and I greeted him, showing off my new hairstyle._

" _Look at this, would you? I did it all by myself! Doesn't it-!" I was cut off when I looked at the extreme hurt and betrayal in Ferid's expression. "What's…?" I was about to ask him what was wrong, but then, again, I was cut off._

 _In the blink of an eye, he was right in front of me. Frighteningly close, at that. I wasn't able to see his features as he was tall enough to reach out of my view. Suddenly, he grabbed the end of my tresses, wrapped it around his tightly closed fist, and pulled harshly. I am sure a quarter of my hair was pulled out in the process._

 _I let out a short, soft yelp before he pulled harder. I was forced to move my head back, and lower in order to suppress the excruciating pain. I whimpered subtly before he bought his lips close to my ear._

" _ **If that braid is going to continue being occupied by those locks of yours, I suggest you get out of my sight…or else, things will get ugly."**_

 _Icily, he whispered those words into my ear, letting his white-knuckled fists get loose. As soon as he let go of my hair, I slipped out of his firm grasp and moved a few feet back. He unceasingly stared at me with aloof, distant eyes as I stuttered my short words of apologies to him. I didn't know what I had done wrong and what I needed to apologize for._

 _I stopped stammering my incoherent remarks and bolted out of the door, closing it with a faint_ _ **clack**_ _that assured me the door wasn't going to open anytime soon._

 _I walked sullenly into the restroom and closed the large, marble door with elaborate designs on them and turned the white and gold key in an anti-clockwise direction. Hearing the gentle noise of the lock put me at ease._

 _I was alone._

 _I walked up to the huge lavatory mirror and stared right into it, right into my depressed eyes. The sockets where my eyeballs resided started to fill with the salty, unwelcome liquid while I delicately sniffled. Just what had I done wrong? What had triggered him so horribly?_

 _I worked hard on the braid._

'… _Do I really look that bad?'_

 _ **-End of Flash back-**_

Ever since that day, I stopped asking him things without thinking deeply about it first. Absolutely anything could spark some terrible fire of anguish and irritation that dwelled in him, the one I knew next to nothing about.

I sat up on the soft sheets of the grand Queen-sized bed, my feet hitting the soft carpeted floor beneath. The fabric was maroon colored with small golden dots on it. Sadly, my room wasn't carpeted so beautifully. Maybe because it wasn't meant to be used a room.

Ferid had a large, walk-in closet. It had all types of clothes, from different countries like India or Europe. I always failed to understand why he owned so many articles of clothing; he wore only one outfit. During my free time, which I had plenty of; I would try on the countless number of apparels.

The end of the huge chamber was another room. It was small, narrow, and had a low ceiling, but it was enough to fit just a bed in. The mansion's design was that of an ancient European castle, and every antique palace has an emergency exit in the main room, right?

This room, situated inside the closet of the rulers' chamber (Ferid's room), was supposed to be an escape route. There was a wide board on the floor, which could easily fit a person inside, locked by the old type of latches. It was not padlocked, just closed.

Apparently, Ferid told me this latch led to confusing tunnels, which guides you to the basement, through which you can escape via the back door. It sounded confusing and I never had any intension of opening that wooden board.

Then I remembered my intention of wanting to do something even mildly fun or interesting.

I trotted over to the front door, opened it slowly, and soon found the vampire guards staring suspiciously at me. I gave them a friendly smile before the first one shrugged, and turned around.

I breathed a sigh of relief. They weren't apprehensive.

I walked casually down the hallway a few feet, before taking a turn to the right. I had absolutely no idea where I was going but I was headed somewhere.

I was so distracted by the frames, the portraits, the paintings. Most of them consisted of this gorgeous woman with light brown hair pulled into a bun, wearing a long, frilly, red gown and she was standing with a walking stick. The names under the portrait read, 'Adela Bathory. Age 34. Born on 2nd November, 1593. Died on 4th December, 1626. Will be remembered as the greatest queen in history.'

Adela, hmm… I couldn't really figure out the origin of the name. But her surname was 'Bathory'. That must mean she's related to Ferid. There were more portraits, though only four of them, of another woman who looked considerably younger. She wore her strawberry blond hair in a braid and had a spiteful look on her face every frame.

The plate under her portraits said, 'Estelle Margaret. Age 21. Born on 13th of January, 1612. Went missing on 31st of October, 1633. She will be missed.' Her surname was not Bathory. Why would he have a picture of this woman in his hallways? I felt an unholy pang of immature jealousy.

Wait… if Adela was the queen of the place, and Ferid was related to her, doesn't that mean he would be royalty too? Strange. I intended on asking him about this when we next met.

I walked further down the hallways. The portraits of both, Estelle and Adela were decreasing. I reached another turn, where the portraits weren't pinned onto the walls anymore. There weren't any in this new hallway.

Thankfully, at the end of this corridor, was a staircase. It went upwards to the left, and downwards to the right. If I traveled down, I would reach the main entrance after a few floors, and then not be allowed to pass the exit. So I decided to head up.

I walked up one flight of stairs, two, three, and I started to get tired. Another flight, and then there was another floor. This place seemed…kind of isolated. I didn't see or hear anyone around. Also, the lights were dimmed, the only thing illuminating the place was the candlelight from the stairs.

I grabbed one of the candles hurriedly, and scurried into the first room. Was I looking for danger? Was I walking right into the trap? I had not a single idea. All I wanted at that point was to know more about Estelle Margaret.

The room had a horrifying atmosphere. It was hot, humid, and most of all, dusty. I sneezed unceasingly as I moved the candle around to see well. Nothing. There was an old study table and a chair covered with a white cloth that had started accumulating dust. Nothing suspicious.

The thought did run across my mind to lift the cloth to see if I could find anything under it, a book, a journal, a piece of jewelry; anything. But I didn't because, you know, I had a terrible phobia of bugs and rodents alike. I giggled gently to myself when I realized I was acting like a detective trying to solve a mystery.

I felt a strong sensation at the back of my throat, and instantly knew there was going to be another sneeze. A very vicious one. But it never came. Oh, that terrible feeling where you can _feel_ the sneeze happening but can't produce it.

Anyway, I continued on to the other rooms. They all were spacious, dark and dusty like the first one, and had different pieces of furniture in them. One had two couches, one had a huge bed, and another had a dining table. They all were covered with sheets in white color.

One thing I couldn't make out is why was everything so dusty and covered with fabric? It was like it wasn't being used at all. Certainly something dubious.

I stepped out of the last room I explored, and noticed that there was no possible way to go in the second hallway that occupied the floor. The roof looked like it had caved in quite a while ago. The broken wooden slabs and debris would make it impossible for a large person to go in there.

But I was quite tiny and thin. I could fit through the small opening in the left bottom corner easily. But then again, there was that undying dread of bugs and rats. It also meant getting dust in my hair, which Ferid took care of as if it was his own.

Instead, I decided to kick the hole repeatedly to make a larger entrance, and possibly scare all the bugs away. I knew I wouldn't be able to do much damage, being the anemic, helpless pest I was, but it was worth a try.

With all my might, I gave a sharp kick. Rats and spiders scurried from underneath, which wasn't really a surprise, but I still jumped and started thrashing my feet, flailing my arms about, forgetting I was holding a candle. The hole did tear up a bit, and the entrance was large enough.

Oh, dear God, how I _**hated**_ spiders. I absolutely despised every one of those that existed on the very surface of this planet. Even lizards are acceptable. But no, definitely not spiders. They scared every bit of hope I had left for this world. I feel like World Peace will only be accomplished after they exterminate every spider in existence.

I squeezed myself carefully, making sure not to damage my hair. Then I arched my back, moving slowly but surely through the narrow hole. Jesus, there were so many dust bunnies. The whole way through the hole, I refrained from sneezing, which was considerably difficult.

Then I straightened my form and peered into the darkness, the candlelight only illuminating a bit of what was around. There were more rooms on the far side of wall now.

Something really confused me. It was strange. There was one room located closest to me, it was illuminated. There was either someone inside or someone had forgotten to switch the lights off. Each way, I wanted to go in and see.

I crept through the corridor, and leaning on the wall, I peeked inside. I wasn't able to see clearly. But I was able to make out a human-like figure sitting and it was… holding some papers? I wasn't sure, maybe it was going through books, but I surely heard the rustling of manuscripts.

Leaning more into the doorframe, I accidentally lost my balance and fell face-first on the floor. Probably the most stupid thing I've done yet. Falling on your face is not a very polite way to greet a stranger, is it?

Thankfully, the floor didn't collide with the front of my face. My nose could have broken! Instead I landed on my side, made a terrible _thumping_ noise, and the visitor looked at the unwanted companion.

I only had a minor bruise on my left cheek. Nothing serious, I was fine.

I looked up at the man, my eyes lolling in their socket before finally focusing wholly. The first thing I saw was not his bright, cream-colored hair, but instead his familiar, sapphire-like cerulean blue orbs.

"…"

"…Mika?"

 **A/N:** _ **YESS!**_ **There is a cliffhanger! Not very high of a cliff, but still full of suspense, right?  
At least I hope so.  
Anyway, I am sick in reality and just needed to take out the frustration of sneezing in words. Oops.  
See you in the next chapter then! - {hopefully a cliffhanger}**

 **Legend-chi~**


End file.
